Suicide Grief Support Forum

The Suicide Grief Support Forum is a public message board, an outreach project of the Parents of Suicides (POS) and Friends and Families of Suicides (FFOS) Internet Communities. The forum officially began on October 2, 2002.

Our mission is to provide information, support and comfort to anyone whose life has been touched by the suicide of another person. Connecting with others who have walked the same road can sometimes make a difference in how we survive a tragedy that may be incomprehensible.

The board is monitored by special volunteers who give freely of their time in memory of the people they lost to suicide.

We do not pretend to be professionals, and we encourage anyone whose needs are greater than can be met here to seek out professional help.

My husband is deathly allergic to turkey - even the smell of it cooking causes him to stop breathing - so he and I never do the big family T-day thing. Someone in my family usually ends up receiving a large turkey, so they DO. My husband's family lives far away.

All that said...

One year my husband had to work on Thanksgiving day, so we decided that I would join my family for the day. Since I didn't drive at the time, my younger brother, Peter (the one I'm here for) came for me & drove my the hour-plus to my older brother's home. He, Peter, one sister and I all live within 1-1/2 hours of each other in New England, but the other 3 live far away. However, the brother just older than I, Larry, who lives in Alaska, managed to come for a visit. Five out of 7 of us isn't a bad gathering, and my parents were happy.

One thing I was thrilled about: since I was the next-youngest in the family, as a child I always ended up sitting at the kids' table. Now I was an adult, I could "graduate"! However, my host-brother miscalculated, and since I'm the SMALLEST adult, guess who ended up sitting at the kids' table again? The kids' table was right up by the Adult table, so I was still able to be part of the general conversation with the other adults. The food was great; the company, superb.

After dinner, dessert, and more conversation, I needed to get home, so Peter once again offered. Larry (who was still suffering ill effects from an accident he had a few years before) asked if Peter could take him back to my parents' house as well.

All three of us decided to sit in the front seat, as Peter's car had a bench seat, with me sitting between my two brothers. The radio was on. We talked, laughed, sang, and had a wonderful time during that drive. I was almost sad when it was over.

That was the first time the three youngest kids in my family ever spent any real time together "just us"...and it was also the last.